Eat a balanced diet, and consider a general vitamin supplement. If you haven’t reviewed the nutritional pyramid since high school, then look up the guidelines and make needed dietary adjustments. If you are too tired to think about or prepare healthy meals, then consider consuming liquid meal products for added nutrition. Some individuals also quality for free (or low cost) delivery of healthy meals through programs like “Meals on Wheels.”
Adding Vitamin B12 can also help with energy levels. These can be purchased over-the-counter at drugstores or big package stores like Wal-Mart or at many online companies.
Evening Primrose Oil and Omega-6 Fish Oil may reduce inflammation and help on pain reduction for those who are suffering with aches and pains in addition to low energy levels. Another product that proves helpful for some is Aloe Vera gel which mixed with fruit juice or other favorite beverage.
Medications
Current prescriptions are used to treat CFS symptoms and not the condition but often include anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medications or pain medications.
At one point, most doctors chalked CFS up to a mental problem and determined that patients were exhausted because they were depressed or stressed. No study has backed up this earlier non-scientific evaluation made arbitrarily by a good number of medical professionals.
So, while treating for depression/anxiety will not cure CFS, it may help some sufferers who are, not surprisingly, quite unhappy when unable to do the things they would like to do. If a parent wants to go see his child play ball and is unable to get up off the couch, drive down and sit though seven innings, then he is quite likely to feel emotional pain.
Pain medications can help with specific body pains (most often seen in fibro patients) but also with the general aches noted by most CFS patients. Most CFS patients use over-the-counter pain medications like aspirin or ibuprofen. When swelling or inflammation is involved, many find that standard aspirin is most effective. If pain is quite severe, doctors may prescribe narcotic pain medications. This should be a last resort. Though the medications tend to be quite effective in reducing pain, they also tend to reduce energy. For patients already feeling sluggish and with little energy to get up and around, narcotics can further complicate problems. Narcotics are also addictive. Use them sparingly if at all.